No. 12 Illinois beats Auburn behind Tracy Abrams' 27

Tracy Abrams' personal narrative is the portrait of a point guard as a young man. With each passing day, he is learning the subtleties and intricacies of the college game.

Illinois is the beneficiary.

Playing in his hometown, the former Mount Carmel star played a spectacular all-around game, scoring 27 points and adding eight rebounds, five assists and four steals as No. 12 Illinois escaped with an 81-79 victory over Auburn on Saturday at the United Center.

"I was just pushing the ball," the sophomore point guard said, "and I took what they gave me."